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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29185239">seven</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourlocalheartbreaker/pseuds/yourlocalheartbreaker'>yourlocalheartbreaker</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>sumayyah writes drabbles! [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aaron Hotchner Was A Theatre Kid, And Teen Hotch/Teen Haley Own My Heart, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Hurt Aaron Hotchner, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Look I Like Haley Okay?, Panic Attacks, Sad Aaron Hotchner, So Technically It's Haley Brooks, Teen Aaron Hotchner, Teen Haley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:47:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,970</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29185239</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourlocalheartbreaker/pseuds/yourlocalheartbreaker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>for the prompt: she knows better than to startle him. haley knows what that monster does to aaron, she has patched him up too many times to count. but she figures a hug would be okay, so she comes up behind hotch (and haley wraps her arms around him and he lurches forward flinching and starts to have a mini panic attack despite her gentleness.<br/>basically haley startles hotch and he has a panic attack and she calms him down.</p>
<p>(all set to seven by taylor swift because that's a perfect song for these two as teenagers)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aaron Hotchner/Haley Hotchner</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>sumayyah writes drabbles! [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2142066</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>seven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>tw: child abuse, panic attacks</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Haley Brooks loved Thursdays'. In fact, if she had to choose, she would say that Thursday was her favourite day of the week. Nobody would ever ask her that, but it was. She knew it was strange to pick such a random day, but it was the one day of the week where she felt like she could relax and enjoy herself.</p>
<p>The theatre club met on a Thursday. She loved theatre. It was fun. And it was the one thing Jessica had never done either, so it was entirely hers. No comparisons. No competition. Just her, her friends, and a musical that she already knew she would hate after the final show.</p>
<p>And of course, Aaron Hotchner. Haley loved Aaron. She knew that already. People may have said that it was ridiculous for her- a seventeen year old- to say that she loved someone like that, but what they didn't understand was that this was Aaron.</p>
<p>He was different. There were a million different parts to him, and she seemed to be the only one that ever got to see them all. </p>
<p>She saw him stumbling through dances, but trying his best and she saw him flustered when people complimented him. She saw him smile- a real, genuine smile- whenever he realised she was staring. She saw him when he was debating, real passion on his face.</p>
<p>She also saw him when he was terrified that his father would find him hiding in her room and take his anger out on her. She saw him when he was so angry with the world that it terrified him because what if he turned out exactly like his father, he couldn't do that and he needed to leave before he damaged her just like everyone else.</p>
<p>It was painful to watch him wince as someone touched his shoulder. It took every ounce of her self-control to not march down to the police station and demand that they arrest Mr Hotchner because he was an evil, evil man that should never have been allowed to have children.</p>
<p>But she couldn't do that. They wouldn't believe her. Aaron had begged her to not say anything. He had tried once. His father had broken his arm and he had ended up in the hospital because he wasn't allowed a hospital.</p>
<p>So she kept his secret. And the window to her room opened all through the evening, even in the winter.</p>
<p>That was the other reason she liked Thursdays'. Mr Hotchner worked late. By the time he came home, Aaron was already hidden away in his room, away from angry fists and alcohol-scented breath. On every other day, there was a chance he would be climbing through her window, blood staining his shirt and tears drying on his cheeks.</p>
<p>Nobody had ever wiped his tears away. The first time she did, he flinched away from her touch. She had thought it was her. Then he apologised, and her heart had ached for him. He spent more time in her house than his own, without anyone knowing, of course. It was stupid, and impossible, but the words were always on the tip of her tongue.</p>
<p>She thought he should live with her. It would be impossible until they both graduated, but she knew her parents would get over themselves eventually. His dad was always angry, even when there was nothing wrong, and it was unfair.</p>
<p>It was unfair that Aaron had to suffer, and it was unfair that nobody was willing to do anything, and it was unfair that his childhood had been torn from him, leaving him a broken shell of the person he could have been. It was unfair that all she could do was clean up the blood and make sure he ate enough.</p>
<p>She liked Thursdays' because she knew Aaron would eat enough. That he would sleep through the night. </p>
<p>She knew Aaron was not the violent and aggressive man that the teachers treated him as, nor was he the trouble-maker Jessica and her parents believed him to be. He wasn't the strange and weird kid that the rest of the cheerleading squad liked to tease him for being. Aaron was soft and sweet, always sticking up for the younger years and he was smart and funny.</p>
<p>That was why she was so happy that he did theatre with her now. It was one of the few moments where other people could see the version of him that she knew existed and loved with all her heart.</p>
<p>He was talking to one of her friends' about the choreography they were learning. His back was facing her, but she could tell from his hand gestures and generally relaxed stance that he was enjoying himself. That made her smile. He deserved to enjoy himself, and to have something good in his life.</p>
<p>She slid off the table she'd been sat on and headed over. Aaron seemed far less tense than he had in any of the previous rehearsals, and it was nice. Cute, because it meant he didn't care about his rambling or poor dance skills.</p>
<p>They weren't officially together- they'd only been on one date that had been cut short because Aaron had needed to run home- but she liked to think they were dating. Or at the very least, good friends. Sometimes she wanted to kiss him, if only to convince him that he was worthy of love, but it was never the right moment.</p>
<p>A hug was okay. Friends hugged all the time. And besides, Aaron could always do with hugs, but there were very few people that were allowed to give them to him. His brother didn't count, because most of the time, Aaron was the one hugging him and that was different. His mother hardly touched him now. </p>
<p>She stepped forward, pressing a finger to her lips when her friend went to say hello. Her friend nodded and turned her attention back to Aaron, who was still rambling about something or other. It sounded like he was talking about Les Miserables, which impressed her.</p>
<p>Haley took one more step forward.</p>
<p>Aaron felt hands wrap around his stomach. His stomach which had bruises forming because his father hadn't even bothered to take his shoes off before taking his anger out on his eldest son. He flinched, but it was too slight for anyone to even notice. Haley pressed her forehead to his shoulder, hugging him tightly.</p>
<p>Her touch was gentle. Her hands were soft. But Aaron did not feel that. He did not feel the love or joy that she did at having him close. He just felt the fear and dread that he always felt when his father came home before he could escape. He felt calloused hands that were harsh and unforgiving.</p>
<p>Before he was aware of what he'd done, he had twisted out of her grip and ran out the room. It was a habit he wasn't even aware of anymore- always standing as close to the door as he could. He had no idea where he was meant to go, only that he needed to get away.</p>
<p>Haley remained frozen in position. She looked down at her hands. Mr Hotchner's hands were much larger than hers. Rougher too. When they touched Aaron, it was to inflict pain and hurt. She knew how that monster touched him. She'd cleaned him up enough times. She should have known better.</p>
<p>But she'd just assumed he would be fine, and now she was here, frozen in position whilst he fled, probably that somebody was going to hurt him.</p>
<p>"Is he okay?" her friend asked.</p>
<p>That shocked her back to reality. "I- give me two minutes okay?"</p>
<p>She ran out the room without even waiting for a response. This had happened once before. It had been terrifying, but they'd gotten through it together, and afterwards Aaron had been so grateful. It made her sick to think that he'd been going through it alone.</p>
<p>Without an ounce of hesitation, she entered the boys' bathroom. Only one door was open. She immediately ran over to it and sat down.</p>
<p>Aaron was struggling to breathe, tears streaming down his cheeks as he rested his head against the wall.</p>
<p>"Aaron," Haley said, fighting to keep her voice steady. This wasn't about her. She needed to be strong for him.</p>
<p>He shook his head. Haley longed to touch him, but they were both still just trying to work out what worked for him. Touch was not one of those things. So she sat opposite him instead, close enough that he could hear her without having to struggle.</p>
<p>"Baby it's me. Haley. We're going to get through this. I need you to listen to me though. Can you do that?" The term of endearment slipped out by accident, but she wasn't about to take it back. Short sentences that were easy to understand were key to helping him through whatever happened to him in these moments.</p>
<p>He nodded, once, slightly hesitant.</p>
<p>"Good. I'm going to breathe in. Can you do that with me?"</p>
<p>Aaron nodded, and she just prayed she was doing this right. She inhaled, slightly relaxing when he did the same. She counted to five and hoped that was the right number, before exhaling. Aaron did the same.</p>
<p>"You're doing so good for me Aar," she assured.</p>
<p>She had no idea how much time passed. It could have been minutes. It could have been hours. But eventually, Aaron's breathing returned to normal and he didn't flinch when she held her hand out for him to take. The pressure grounded him.</p>
<p>"Thank you," he whispered.</p>
<p>"You should come and live with me," she blurted out. Immediately, she cringed. Aaron was already so much older than he seemed. Saying that would only make him realise just how immature she was.</p>
<p>He smiled slightly, drawing circles over her knuckle. "Yeah?"</p>
<p>"Mhm. We could do whatever we wanted. Like eat pancakes for dinner, and dance round the kitchen whenever wanted, and watch those rom-coms that you love so much," she said, smiling slightly.</p>
<p>"That'd be nice. Tell me more about this life of ours together."</p>
<p>She could never tell him no. It was halfway through her spiel about the way they would decorate their hallway that she realised exactly why he wanted her to speak. He found her voice soothing and it was helping him.</p>
<p>So she decided to be brave, and she took a chance.</p>
<p>"Aar?"</p>
<p>"Yeah?"</p>
<p>"I love you. And I think we should go on a date," she said, all in one breath.</p>
<p>"What?"</p>
<p>"You don't have to say yes. It's just- I'm sat here, planning out what our future home looks like but you don't even know how I feel and I needed you to know that."</p>
<p>"I don't think anyone's ever loved me," he confessed quietly.</p>
<p>"Can I hug you?" she asked, not sure what she was meant. Because saying that wasn't true would be an insult to everything that he had been through. Love hurt sometimes, yes, but not in the way that he was.</p>
<p>He nodded. He still tensed when her arms went to his stomach, but she took her time, making sure he knew it was her, not someone else. When she finally embraced him, he sobbed into her shoulder.</p>
<p>She just ran her hand through his hair. "One day, we're going to get out of here, and it's going to be the best time of our lives."</p>
<p>They did eventually get out of that small town. And they ate pancakes for dinner, danced to ABBA hits in their tiny kitchen that wasn't even made for two people, watched silly rom-coms that never failed to make Aaron tear up, and they decorated their hallway with photos of them and their friends.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>and hopefully this'll be the last time i'll be posting something on here for a few days, because cross-posting all of your tumblr drabbles does not spark joy and should be spread out over a few days so you don't get exhausted reformatting things!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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